Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been elected as the head of the opposition UMP, setting the stage for a return to presidency in 2017 .
Sarkozy secured 64.5% of the vote as against his rivals Bruno le Maire and MP Herve Mariton, who could manage only 29.2% and 6.3% of the votes respectively.
Former French leader was expected to win by a wide margin as he obtained 85% of the vote when he was first elected party leader in 2004. Sarkozy said that he would like to thank all the UMP members who did the honour of electing him leader of the party, adding that their mobilization is the best response to two years of internal divisions, the BBC reported.
However, a spokeswoman for Hollande’s Socialist Party said that his victory in the campaign is not the triumphal return that he was hoping for, adding that the campaign had provided nothing new for France.
Serving as president from 2007 and 2012, Sarkozy left active politics after his defeat to Francois Hollande. (ANI)